Outdoor art Gallery

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The Group of Seven is an outdoor art gallery devoted to the sharing of artistic pieces in varying forms. These forms of art are in fact seven in number, hence the ‘Group of Seven’ name.
1. Animation Art
2. Ceramics
3. Graffiti art
4. Junk Art
5. Paintings
6. Photography
7. Sculptures

Located in downtown Vancouver, Group of Seven provides a spacious exhibition of artwork by various Canadian born professional and select amateur artists.
The project is a mean by which local artists can showcase through their work their version of Vancouver. The pieces are a reflection of the city as seen and experienced by its people. Using the various medium, the artists communicate the feelings they have experienced and the history of the region through their work.
It is a wonderfully creative and emotive space that is also used to teach art to children. A section of the gallery is devoted to training local kids on the various mediums of art and who to try their hand. Every Saturday, many professional artists avail themselves on the grounds of the gallery to help educate the children and provide an opportunity to experiment.

Exhibits

‘Churning Butter’

We live in a world where there are many different ways that you can create art. Most people create art with their hands, but today, using electricity can make it that much easier to create art and you do not have to do it with paint or clay. In fact, you can create art with butter. If you’ve ever been to a huge fair, you have probably seen the butter sculptures that people create with churned butter. These sculptures take a lot of work and make the papers each year, respectfully. Now that the summer is here and all of the fairs are right around the corner, butter artists are busy at work sculpting the creamy concoction into everything from Elvis Presley to cows and even the Last Supper.

So, what exactly goes into sculpting butter, you may ask. The truth is, sculpting butter takes a lot of work from the planning stage to completion. To begin with, the butter needs to be churned, but if you’re not willing to do it by hand, because lets face it. You’re going to be doing a lot of hand work when the butter is done. When you’ve decided what it is you want the butter to be shaped into, you’re going to want to make a base for your butter. You can use wood, but most people use metal to keep everything where it should be. You’ll probably have to custom cut the material, as well. After you have the base and the butter, the butter needs to be soaked in ice water to make sure it is smooth and free of any impurities. Once you have soaked it, you’ll need to soak your hands in ice water as well until they’re nearly numb because any body heat will melt the butter. Be sure to always work in an area that is very cold, as well. Utilize those air conditioners and if you don’t think the room is cold enough, get an electrician out there to install more air conditioners to keep the space frigid. Everything else that goes into sculpting butter is just hand work and creativity, unless you’re going to be using a small drill to make indentations or details in the sculpture.

Sculpting butter really is an art and something that takes a lot of patience and practice and a really cold room, as well as some icy cold hands. If you can’t sculpt butter, don’t feel bad. Many people just can’t get the hang of it, but there are plenty of other ways for you to be artistic this summer. Try your hand at some chalk art on a side walk. Remember, in just a few short weeks, you’ll be able to head out to your local fair and check out the butter sculptures molded by the professionals.

‘Evil Through History’ Exhibit Brings Attention to Eyelash Cosmetics

The Group of Seven Outdoor Gallery is hosting an exhibition of various art forms depicting evil through time. One of the most interesting parts of this exhibition has to do with ancient Egyptian culture and their tradition of enhancing the eyelashes so as to ward off the effects of the evil eye and strengthen their eyesight. This installation features performance artists dressed and made-up in a similar manner to the pharaohs of old. Many visitors to the exhibition have been amazed by how well this ancient civilization managed to enhance the eyes of both men and women in the belief it would spare them the effects of others’ evil machinations.
Ointments were typically used by ancient Egyptians to help enhance the eyes. Right from childbirth, children were smeared with ointments that often included ingredients such as galena and kohl. Unfortunately, this meant exposure to lead, which is a toxic element. Lead was a common component in most cosmetic products of the time. Today however, this element is considered dangerous and not suited to modern day people who now live much longer than ancient Egyptians did. It is believed that had the ancient Egyptians had longer to live with more time for the lead to build up in their systems, health problems, like cataracts, would have been prevalent. Ancient Egyptians tended to have a fairly short life span, with most dying in their thirties.
As using the original makeup of the ancient Egyptians was out of the question, artist Leia McEnroe who designed the performance art installation made use of modern beauty innovations to create the thick full and long lashes of the performers. She confirmed having the performers undergo an eyelash extensions procedure that allowed for bonding of fake lashes onto their natural ones. Most were happy to try out the cosmetic procedure that would allow them to avoid having to keep reapplying mascara endlessly, in a fruitless attempt to achieve the same look.
McEnroe said she was impressed by the results achieved by the lash salon contracted. She had the eyelash extensions technician focus mostly on the upper lids of the eyes, and then used dark eyeliner for the for the dramatic cats eye look. The installation is expected to continue being exhibited for another 2 weeks at the gallery. This is the first performance art installation being undertaken by the gallery. It was allowed in response to calls from resident artists, wanting to broaden the range of artworks that could be displayed at the premier Vancouver venue.